The Legend of Zelda: The Hunter
by Undertaker1
Summary: Hyrule has made a treaty with the newly discovered land of Termina, and The royalty of Hyrule are paying a visit to the Mayor. Meanwhile, Link is hunting down a sorcerer who has been massing Ganondorf's evil creatures and making assaults on Termina. Plus,
1. Chapter 1

The princess of Hyrule was sitting in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her hair. There was a fir burning merrily in the fireplace behind her. It was late at night, and she was getting ready for the next day.

Recently, a few people from a land called Termina crossed Hyrule. The two merchants brought all sorts of gifts and treasures to the Royalty of Hyrule. King Harkinian was amazed, and immediately sent a small company of nobility to make a treaty with the land.

After three months, a message came from the west, saying that the messengers had successfully written up a treaty with this new country. After a bit of back-and-forth messaging, the two countries came to a conclusion on a treaty. A few weeks afterwards, the King received an invitation to the country's yearly festival. He accepted, and the trip was scheduled for the next day.

Zelda shivered, and got up to put another log on the fire. It was the dead of winter in Hyrule, and the castle had a reputation of reaching temperatures far below zero. No sooner had Zelda sat down again than someone knocked on the door. 

"Yes?" She asked through the door.

"Zelda, it's me. Open up." A thickly accented voice said from the other side.

"Come in, Rika. What are you doing here this late at night?"

"Oh, yeah, since eight o'clock is so late." Rika said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rika was a kitchen servant, and had been employed since she was five. Zelda had met Rika when they were both nine. Zelda had sneaked into the kitchen late at night, and Rika had caught her. After a brief scuttle, the two became great friends. Rika had long black hair, and deep brown eyes. She was very beautiful, and the two of them were constantly in competition over seducing royalty.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about what you want to eat during your trip." Rika smiled proudly. 

"What? What I want to eat? What are you talking about?" 

"I'm your cook on the journey to Termina. What do you want to eat?" Realization hit Zelda, and she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Are you serious?" Zelda asked. Rika nodded.

"Well, I want some meat. Deer, if you could." Zelda thought for a moment. "And bacon. It's been ages since I've had any bacon."

"Done. Zelda, what's wrong?" Zelda had suddenly become depressed. She remembered how Link used to cook deer when she visited him.

"It's nothing." Zelda said quickly.

"It must be something. Do you want to talk about it?" Rika sat down on the edge of her bed, and motioned for Zelda to do the same. She sat down slowly, and sighed.

"I was just thinking about Link. I miss him. He always used to have deer jerky when I visited him in the woods." 

Rika then understood what Zelda was referring to. Rika had never met Link, but she had seen portraits of him in the great hall of the castle. He was a handsome, with long blonde hair and weird green clothes. Three years ago, Zelda's father betrothed her to a prince. The prince was a fake, and was doing it for the power. He didn't even have a country. He had brainwashed Zelda into thinking that the benefits from allying Hyrule with his country were so great that it was worth marrying him.

Link saw past this, and warned Zelda. She exploded on him, yelling at him, and accusing him of being jealous. Then, she told him that she never wanted to see him again. Link was crushed, but still held on. 

Then, he brought it up at a party, and she exploded on him in front of all the nobility of Hyrule. Zelda was so brainwashed that she convinced the people of Hyrule that Link tried to assassinate her. They began to hate their Hero, and so Link left the country.

Impa knew then that something wasn't right with Zelda. Impa brought this to the King's attention, and Harkinian inquired a wizard from Kakariko to come and see Zelda. The wizard relinquished Zelda from the brainwashing spell, and the prince was executed. Zelda couldn't remember anything from when she was under the spell, and when she learned that she had caused Link to leave, she broke down. She spent days in her room, weeping. The King ordered search parties to find Link, but the best trackers in Hyrule couldn't find the slightest trace of him. 

They did, however, uncover something in the Kokiri forest. At a secluded part of the forest, they found a massive crater, at least a few miles in diameter, cleared of trees. It looked like there had been an explosion of some kind. When they inquired about it with the Kokiri, the children said that a demon had created it. It had glowing white eyes, and silver hair. The demon had blue and red markings on his face, and a great helix sword. The Kokiri said those things like that happen all the time in the forest, so the trackers returned to the castle with no evidence as to the location of Link.

Zelda had gotten over it mostly, but three years later, she was still depressed all the time. Rika knew that Zelda had felt something for Link, but she didn't know why. In fact, no one in Hyrule knew why the Royal Family kept Link around.

"Zelda, how did you meet Link?" 

Zelda sighed again, and pulled a necklace from her neck that Link had given her.

"Do you remember when I told you about Ganondorf?" Rika nodded, and Zelda continued.

"Do you remember the Hero of Time that I was telling you about? Well, Link was the Hero of Time. He has the Triforce of Courage. My father and the nobility know this. He was one of a kind."

"Oh. I wish I could have met him. He sounds cute." Rika grinned, and Zelda grinned back.

"Extremely." She smiled.

"Well, I have to go help Impa pack the supplies for tomorrow, so I'll see you in the morning." With that, Rika got up, and was out the door, skipping down the hall.

Zelda blew out the last candle in her room, and sunk into her bed. She was asleep in less than five minutes.

******

"Throat! Lungs! Legs!" A series of grunts followed, and the troops executed the maneuver with practiced ease. 

"Again!" Link shouted once the 'victims' had gotten back up. The troops were practicing how to use a knife to kill someone or incapacitate them quickly. These men were Link's pride and joy. He had taught them to be efficient soldiers, and now he was teaching them special techniques of camouflage and hand-to-hand combat.

"Throat! Lungs! Legs!" They executed it perfectly again, and the victims got back up.

"Switch! If you were the victim, you are now the assassin. Remember that you can't make any noises. This could alert nearby horses or guards of your presence. If I hear any noises this time, you're going to run until I get tired!" Link yelled.

"Throat! Lungs! Legs! Good!" 

"Alright, That's all for today. Next week, I'll teach you how to make knives out of enemy swords, or any other available metal. You are dismissed."

One of the soldiers, Nigel, walked up to Link.

"Sir, here's your knife back." Nigel handed Link a ten-inch knife that was serrated on one side, and unserrated on the other side. 

"How did it feel?" Link asked him after sheathing the knife.

"It was perfectly balanced, but I think it was a little too heavy for me to efficiently use. I need lighter knives."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Your arms are plenty strong, but your hands are a little small. They aren't strong enough to handle the three-pound knife, so you need a two-pound knife. We'll work on that next week." Link said, patting Nigel on the shoulder. Nigel sauntered over to the stables. Cremia had graciously offered Link the fields of the ranch to train his troops.

Link whistled, and Epona sauntered up to him. "Hey, girl. Miss me?" Epona shook her head, and Link laughed. 

"Well, you'll get over it." Link mounted Epona, and started his trip from Romani Ranch to the town. 

Link had left Hyrule three years ago. He had gotten over the hurt of Zelda telling him to leave. If she hadn't told him to leave there, then he would've had to leave anyway. He needed help with his other side. It took him a year and a half to get it under control, and now he had banished the evil from his other side. It was now a last resort for him. 

Link had lived in Termina for a few months. He had just come from Calatia, and had stumbled across the land by mistake. He decided to stay, and as soon as he walked into the Stock Pot Inn, Kafei recognized him. The news of Link's arrival had spread like wildfire, and the whole town was excited to meet the person who had saved them from the moon all those years ago. Even the Gorons, Zoras, and Dekus heard that he was here.

Link had been the subject of numerous parties of the different races, and the Goron and Zora had especially welcomed him. After the defeat of Majora, Mikau and Darmani had been resurrected. Link was welcomed by them, and received numerous gifts. The two he remembered the most were Darmani's Goron whiskey and Mikau's fishbone guitar.

The next week, however, Termina's Chief of Security died of natural causes. There was great dispute on who should take over the job. After Darmani recommended Link, everyone agreed, and Link was given permanent residence where the lottery shop used to be. He immediately set to work training Termina's troops, and spent a lot of time with the swordmaster, learning how to teach.

Link reached the Clock Town walls, and stopped to observe the land. Link began to wonder if Zelda was married. He hoped she was happy. After a few minutes, Link spotted a caravan coming into the south entrance. There were more visitors coming into the town for the festival. It was quite popular this year. Anju and Kafei were getting a lot of business this year. 

Link urged Epona on, and the guard let Link through. Link stopped Epona by the stables that were recently installed in east Clock Town, and left her in a stall.

Link made his way through the crowd of tourists to the Stock Pot Inn. When he reached the door, he heard a voice calling his name. He turned to see his friend Aaron walking towards him. Aaron was a good friend of Link, and had been Link's assistant in his job as the Chief of Security. Aaron had shaggy brown hair that always waved in the wind, and bounced up and down when he ran. He had a slight muscular build, and was known to hit on women whenever he could get the chance.

"What's up?" Link asked, opening the door to the inn as Aaron walked up beside him.

"Well, we have a problem in the New Forest village. Someone has been stealing things again. A cabin in the village was robbed blind when their inhabitants were out hunting."

"Damn. That's the seventh one this week. Who's doing this? The last ones have been the essence of perfection. No trail to follow or signs of conflict, or even broken locks on the doors. We're dealing with a professional here."

"You're the Hunter, you tell me." Aaron said on his way to the front desk. He rang the service bell, and turned to Link.

"Please don't call me a Hunter. I had no idea that those people were bent on world domination. I don't do that anymore."

"Whatever. Hey, there's a party tonight involving the Indigo Go's. Are you going?" Aaron asked. Anju appeared at the receptionist desk, and showed them to the recently built dining room.

"I don't know if I'll be able to make it. The paperwork is starting to stack up. And, there's a shipment of rupees coming in tonight from some foreign country. I have to supervise the security for the shipment."

"What time tonight is that?" Aaron asked, glancing at the clock.

"Six o'clock. Why?" 

"It's fifteen till six." 

"Fuck. I have to get there. I'll catch you later." 

Link got up and hurried out.

"Hey, there's going to be Goron beer at the party, you gotta come! It's at ten!" Aaron yelled after him. 

He heard the door slam, and sighed. A cute blonde waitress came out to get his order, and immediately his attention was diverted completely to the woman in front of him.

"Can I take your order sir?" She smiled suggestively at him.

"I'll have the house special. Say, would you like to go to the party tonight with me?" 

She blushed and became nervous, shifting her weight from leg to leg.

"I...sure. What time?"

Aaron smiled.

Link rushed out of the Stock Pot inn and ran all the way to West Clock Town. The laughing faces of the guards that were supposed to escort the shipment met him. 

"Sorry I'm late. I was held up by the crowd in East Clock Town." Link said carefully.

"It's alright sir, they don't really need us anyway. They've got an entire division guarding those wagons." The soldiers laughed.

"Oh." Link breathed. At that moment, the head horse of the convoy came through the gate.

Tons of soldiers poured in after it, with swords drawn. Link raised an amused eye.

The head horse stopped in front of Link, who just stood there with a smile on his face. He crossed his arms, and looked at the soldiers that had walked in after him. They were clothed in heavy armor, and some had broadswords. They also seemed winded.

"Welcome to Termina Mr..." Link left it hanging.

The head soldier dismounted, and offered Link his hand.

"General Osadaze. It's nice to meet you, sir Link. I've heard quite a bit about you."

"I didn't do it, and whoever said I did is a liar." Link said, shaking the General's hand. The General laughed at this, and released Link's hand.

"Well, I hope what they say is true." Osadaze said.

"And what do they say, General?" 

"Only that you can track a spider across the whole continent. Your achievements and bravery have been admired for years in our country."

"What country might that be?" Link asked the General.

"Hyrule." Osadaze said proudly.

Link froze. This money was from Hyrule? This General was from Hyrule? Fuck. Why were they here? Link kept his cool.

"Oh? And why would Hyrule be donating such a large sum of money to the banks of Termina?"

"Because the King and his daughter are coming here in three days." Shit, Link thought.

"They wish to have money to spend so as to help your economy."

Double shit.

Our countries have made a treaty, and the Royalty are coming to see the land that they have aligned with."

Triple shit.

"Alright," Link started, "let's get this money in the bank, and let the troops rest. I hope the wolfos didn't give you any trouble."

"Wolfos?! You have wolfos?!" The General's face was a mixture of fear and shock.

"Yeah, they usually come out about this time to hunt. They usually stay away from groups of people, though they have been a little aggressive lately." 

Suddenly, a series of screams sounded from outside the walls. Link cursed, and drew his knife from the sheath across his back. He ran outside, and was faced with a desperate situation.

There was a long line of troops surrounding the wagon, and tons of wolfos circling the troops, who had formed a protective ring around the wagon.

Link decided on a plan, and ran towards the wolfos. The troops were all barking orders to each other, and the wolfos were apparently waiting for something. One of the wolfos got in a pouncing position, ready to strike.

"HEY!!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs towards the wolfos. The beast who was about to strike was stunned for a moment, and turned to face Link, who was getting dangerously close to the pack.

Link turned the knife around in his hand so that the blade was pointing down, and threw it at the wolfos. It struck the wolfos in the neck, and the beast cried out in pain, and fell to the floor, with blood gushing out of its neck. This momentarily stunned the pack, and Link used this time to call reinforcements. He pulled a whistle from his pocket, and blew it as loud as he could. This was the call that the guards used if they were being invaded. It had never been used before.

Link extended his hand towards his knife twenty feet away, and used an unseen force to pull it from the beast's neck and back towards his hand. He caught it, and ran towards the nearest wolfos.

The nearest wolfos jumped at Link, and raised its claws to strike. Link moved to the side, and jabbed his knife in its side, puncturing its lungs. He kicked the next one in the mouth, and stabbed its stomach and slit its throat. He turned around and saw a wolfos claw at him. It cut a deep gash in his chest, and Link gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. He grabbed the wolfos' paw, pulled its arm straight, and hit its elbow with his palm, breaking the joint, and bending the arm backwards. 

The beast howled in pain, and slashed desperately at Link. Link kicked its legs out from under it, and stabbed its neck. All this happened in just a few seconds.

A group of six wolfos were advancing on him from behind, and Link quickly flipped around. He extended his hand towards them, and used an unseen force to pick up the small group and propel them towards a nearby tree. They slammed into it with great force, and fell to the ground. 

Link felt a sharp pain in his hand, and felt the knife knocked from it. He instinctively turned quickly and lashed out with a kick to the midsection of a wolfos. It was sent to the ground, and Link took a glance at his hand. There was a deep gash running down his forearm, and his knife was no longer in his hand. He didn't have any more time to stare, as more wolfos came running at him.

One of them jumped on Link, pinning him to the ground. It held him there for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of having Link pinned. It raised its claws to strike, and Link extended his palm towards its nose, hitting it hard. It backed off, and started walking around like it was drunk. It then fell down dead. Link had sent the bone-like material in its nose up to its brain and killed it.

Link flipped to his feet, and saw a wolfos running towards him at full steam. Link moved to the side at the last second, extending his arm out to catch the wolfos. His arm connected with its neck, and it was flipped to the ground. It began writhing around, gasping for breath, until it died from a collapsed windpipe.

A wolfos jumped on Link's back, and bit his shoulder. Link yelled, and fell over backwards. A Special Forces member of Clock Town's troops ran up, and swiftly disconnected the wolfos' head from its shoulders. He helped Link to his feet, and Link saw that it was Nigel.

"I thought I heard a noise up here!" Nigel said amongst the clatter of battle.

"I owe you one! Let's kick these boys' candy asses!" Link yelled, grinning despite the pain.

"Damn straight!" Nigel tossed Link a sword, and the two went to work tearing through the wolfos ranks, killing the beasts systematically.

Link gave an upward slash, slicing open the wolfos' chest. Its insides spilled onto the ground, and then burnt up. Link stared at the ashes of what used to be a wolfos body, and looked around to see that all of the other carcasses were burning up also. The remaining wolfos gave a deafening scream, and ran off into the forest. The troops cheered, and began congratulating one another. The Terminian troops ran up to Link, and began to check his wounds.

"I'm fine." He breathed. "Were there any casualties?" 

"A dozen or so wounded, but no deaths. You sure took down a lot of the bastards." Aaron smiled. 

"It was nothing. If I had a sword, I could have taken more." Link grinned, and then the two broke out laughing. 

Well, how was it? Good? Bad? Stupid? Please review, I appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I think it's safe to say that this story will be a success. Anyway, I have once again forgotten the disclaimer. 

I do not own The Legend of Zelda, or any characters associated with it, besides the ones that I made up.

The Hunter

Link was sitting at the kitchen table of the Stock Pot inn, with Anju tending to his wounds.

"Honestly, I think you men go out and get hurt just so us women can patch you up. Its ridiculous!" Anju exclaimed. 

She carefully took off Link's shirt, and examined the wound on his arm. Some of the Hylian military that had gotten injured also were in the room, but none had as bad of injuries as Link. They murmured to themselves about him as Anju bandaged him up.

Link tried to get up. "Don't move. The cut missed the artery in your arm by a few millimeters." She said. She began to wind up the cut with bandages, but only put a thin layer of them on.

"I know you're just going to tear these off tomorrow, so I won't give you so many layers of bandages." She said, moving behind him. "Now, let's see that bite mark."

There was a ring of puncture wounds making a ring on his shoulders from where that wolfos had bitten him. 

"Kafei, get the alcohol." She instructed her husband. The purple haired man nodded, and walked off in search of the liquid. He came back a few moments later with a jar filled with a clear liquid. He set it down beside Link, and Anju dipped a cloth in the alcohol. 

A few of the men cringed when they saw what she was about to do. That was pure alcohol that she had dipped the cloth in and it burned like none other. Link saw this, and decided to play with the men. When Anju pressed the cloth to his shoulder, Link showed no signs of pain, not even watering eyes, and smiled at the men. They stared back with wide eyes. When she had finished, she gave Link his shirt. He got up from the table, and turned to Anju.

"I could have cauterized the wound. You don't have to fix me up every time. Kafei, on the other hand…couldn't take the pain." Link said grinning.

"I could too." Kafei said quickly. 

"I'd like to see you stand one second with a hot poker on your flesh. You'd cry for your momma." Link said, pretending to wail. Anju rolled her eyes. She knew that they were just messing around, but Link always challenged Kafei to things that he knows her husband can't do, and then they laugh about it later. She just didn't understand men.

"You're on! Tomorrow, we'll see who can take the pain." Kafei said, grinning.

"Anytime, anyplace. I'll take you down." Link said. He grabbed the jar of whiskey from the table, and took a big swig, savoring how it burned on its way down. The Hylian soldiers oohed and ahhed, and Link left after grabbing his knife. 

He walked out, and headed to the old post office. The postman had run away before the moon had a chance to fall, and he never came back. It was discovered later that thieves had killed him. So, Link turned the vacant space into a foreign affairs office, dealing with everything from domestic pickpockets to wars between countries. He opened the door and sauntered in, sitting down at his desk. The place had been made much bigger, having two floors instead of one large room. There was a large main room on both floors, and two separate rooms. One of the rooms, located on the first floor, was Link's office.

He walked into his office to see a stack of papers sitting there. He mentally kicked himself for forgetting about them, and sat down at his desk. The first part of the stack was devoted to the recent theft problem in Termina. There had been seven cases so far, and none had left a trace as to who….or what, had done the crimes. There were slash marks on the walls every time, but absolutely no footprints or anything. 

Link read a report from one of the detectives, who believed that all the crimes were related. Link agreed with him. They were related. However, no one has even heard any commotion when the houses were supposedly robbed. New Forest village was established six months ago, and already the people are thinking about moving away.

Link had to get this guy, and soon. He dove into the other part of the stack of papers, and was shocked by what he read. It was all about Hyrule, and the treaty that had just been made between the countries. Link was scared and excited at the same time. He wanted people to recognize Termina, but he didn't want to have to face Hyrule's princess again. 

There was a letter from Dotour on his desk, so he picked it up and read it. 

Link, 

The Royal Family of Hyrule wants to visit Termina. They will be arriving in two to three days. I want you to show the King and his daughter around the country. Take them to see the Zoras, the Gorons, and the Dekus. We need to make them feel welcomed, and they won't feel like it unless someone shows them around. The other reason I need you to do this is because I know I can trust you to keep the King and Princess safe. I'm sure you will like them. If you can't do this, I understand. Please, if you can't, find someone who can. 

Dotour

Link wasn't sure how he would get out of this one, but there was a way, he was sure of it.

He walked over to a fireplace, and lit a match, burning the letter.

As Link was watching the ashes of the letter die, someone burst through his door. He turned around lazily, and raised an eyebrow at Aaron.

"You know, there's a sign on the door that says knock. I probably would have killed you if I hadn't heard you fumble with the lock like you always do." Link said.

"Get over it." Grady said, looking at Link like he was a cjild being scolded. "Look, there's been another theft in New Forest. I told them to leave the crime scene alone until you got there." 

"Zelda, wake up." 

Zelda groaned, and turned over.

"Fine, I guess you don't want to go to Termina. I'll tell your father that you won't be traveling with him." Impa started towards the door.

"Wait." Zelda said, sitting up and squinting from the sun. 

"I'll get up." 

"I knew you'd see things my way. I already took all your things to the wagons. Remember to dress warmly." 

"Yes Impa. I'll see you down there." 

Impa left, closing the door behind her. Zelda got up, and began dressing herself. She put on tights and a bra, and then a thick dress that was lined with wool. She ran a comb through her hair quickly, and proceeded down to the stables.

When she arrived, she found her carriage all prepped and ready to go. In all, about two hundred people were traveling with the King and Princess. When Zelda opened the door to the carriage, she found that her father was already inside. 

"Let's go." King Harkinian instructed the driver.

Two and a half days had passed, and they were nearing their destination. It had gotten significantly warmer, and Zelda was in a thin dress, sweating profusely. Her body had not gotten used to the temperature change, and she was sweating a lot. The door to her large carriage opened, and Rika stepped in.

"Hello." Zelda said. 

"Hey. I brought some water." She answered, handing Zelda a glass filled with water. 

"Thank you." Zelda said, graciously accepting the glass.

"How far are we from the gates of Clock Town?" 

"Only a few hours." Rika said. She took a seat next to Zelda on the sofa.

"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Rika said. She began twirling her hair in her fingers, which meant that she was nervous.

"What is it?" 

"Well, you remember how you couldn't find any trace of Link?" 

"Yes." Zelda answered. She now understood where this was going. 

"Did you find him?" She asked excitedly.

Rika nodded. Zelda jumped up happily, and enveloped Rika in a loving hug.

Zelda was thinking of a million things at once, and questions were flying through her mind. 

"Is he okay?" She asked after a while.

Rika shrugged. "All we know is that he's there. We don't know if he's alive and well, or if they're planning his burial. All we heard from an informant is that he _is_ there." 

Zelda frowned. 

"But I doubt he's dead. From what you've told me about him, he's quite difficult to kill."

Zelda didn't respond. She just stared at the floor of the royal carriage. 

"Let me know when Termina is in sight." Zelda said, her gaze unwavering. 

Rika threw back the canvas door, allowing blinding rays of sunlight to filter through.

Rika squinted her eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the difference of light. 

Once her eyes adjusted, she looked up to see a grand sight.

They were now leaving the forest, the path leading them fading on the tall grasses of Termina Field. Just beyond the grasses lay a massive wall, reaching over thirty meters. Within the wall lay Clock Town, the main human civilization of Termina.

"Your highness," Rika said, getting Zelda's attention, "Welcome to Termina." 

I apologize for the long delay. Trust me, if it were my choice, my floppy disk would still be working. I was going to post a chapter a few weeks ago, but my computer received a virus, and all the information for The Hunter was lost. So, while that computer was being fixed, I could only work on the Ghosts. Again, I apologize.

Undertaker Out.


End file.
